Hugo here! Hey, and don't forget me; Reynolds is here too!
This summer mom and dad have been busy and they have kept us busy too! It's been dog-gone HOT and HUMID here! Sis and I barely make it around the block before sluggishly sulking up the stairs back to our air-conditioned apartment! And don't forget bro, my favorite place to cool down is laying on the cold hardwood floors in front of the dehumidifier that blows on me! Whew! My pitty-ful body wasn't designed for Sasebo's summer weather!
Anyway, here's what we have been up to so far this summer:
June 25: Pool Day & Our Patio Garden
According to mom, the Hario Base Pool is only open on the weekends, so sometimes mom ditches us to drive to Main Base during the week to enjoy some sunshine time. I don't know why they don't allow dogs, but whatever, I will happily enjoy the sunshine from inside our apartment, and sometimes from the back patio!
While we don't have a yard, mom and dad enjoy a cold drink on the patio some evenings and they let us join them outside! This is my absolute favorite time!! I love sitting on our tiny porch, hiding under dad's chair for shade, and chasing off the flying bugs! Hugo sometimes sits and pants until mom lets him back inside. He rather enjoys the family time through the glass door, in the AC.
July 1: First Japanese Haircut
Mom left one morning and came home with a lot less hair! She told us she went to the Ginza for a haircut out in town at a Japanese Salon! While we could smell the nerves on her when she left, she came home smelling like new shampoo and happiness!
Mom said the hair stylist spoke decent English, but gave the best head massage during her shampoo treatment!!!! Hugo and I both know, if mom says it was a great massage, it must have been stellar since our mama gives the best belly rubs!
July 2: Celebrating 4th of July
To celebrate the 4th of July, mom and dad took us to Kota's for a morning play date! While Hugs peed on everything, Kota and I wrestled and ran around their yard for an hour using up all our energy! Little did Hugo and I know, this playdate was purposefully planned so mom and dad could ditch us for a 4th of July celebration at Kota's house WITHOUT US.
Yep, sis said it. We were bamboozled. Mom and dad even made a surprise birthday cake for Mike, where they "iced" him! Not really sure what that means, but you can tell from the pics that dad was loving it!
While we were left behind (poor us) mom and dad said they had a great time celebrating the 4th with their friend group! Nothing says 4th of July quite like sparklers, cake and lots of adult beverages!
Here's Mike finding his surprise:
July 5: Waterfall
Ok, are you ready to hear about the BEST DAY OF ALL SUMMER!?! Hugo, you are hyping this up too much. It wasn't that great of a day.
Ok I take that back. It was pretty great!
Mom and dad took us back to the Tsugane Otoshi Waterfall!! You may remember, we visited this place last fall to celebrate my birthday, and I would argue, this time was even better than the last time! So the day started with a car ride, which you know sis and I loved! We eventually realized we were going back to a familiar place when we saw all those tight roads and smelled the fresh air and wet grounds that led to the waterfall!
The longer we live in Japan, the less we notice the tight roads. Dad regularly points out how these "Japanese two-way roads are as wide as one-way roads in the states." All I can say is, I'm happy to be on any road as long as it's with my people!!!!
So as soon as we get there, dad wastes no time and he climbs right into the waterfall! I can say, the waterfall was twice as strong as last time...making it that much scarier. You know how I get- Hugo loves the water, but I tend to stay as far away as possible!
Now while I wasn't brave enough to go under the falling water, I was willing to do some swimming in the giant watering hole with mom! Mom jumped right in, and there's no way I was going to let her drown, so I dove in to rescue her! She did this so many times during our visit, making it so I had to work extra hard to rescue her over and over again!
While Hugo and mom were swimming, I stood off to the side and would do my sisterly duty of attacking Hugo every time he got out of the watering hole! Hugs even chased me around some too! After awhile, I caught another familiar scent: Kota!!!! Hugo and I's BFF! Somehow Kota's people knew we were visiting the waterfall, so they brought Kota to play! Like Hugo said earlier: BEST. DAY. EVER.
Of course, every great day has to come to an end... so after 2 hours of swimming, it was time for a car ride home. It was the quickest car ride ever- one moment sis and I are awake, looking out the window, then BAM, lights back on and we are home! Magic!
While still half asleep, we endured a bath (not nearly as fun as the waterfall) and then curled up on the couch to warm up and gain back our energy! Aren't we the cutest!?!
July 7: Bread Making
So mom came home one morning smelling like the most amazing stuff ever. Bread.
Her friend group got together and learned to make bread from scratch! Mom took yeast (whatever that is), flour, sugar, milk and butter and made the prettiest, most-perfect bread ever!!!! Did Hugo and I get to taste it? No. Did it smell heavenly? Yeah.
Mom calls it self-control. I call it tourture.
After dropping her loaf off to cool at the house, mom jumped in the car to meet dad for lunch at an Acai Bowl restaurant before enjoying the afternoon at the pool! She stayed at the pool so long, that the sun started to go down when dad got off work. Rather than rush home, they enjoyed dinner on base, where they were hosting a special dinner option: a Mongolian-style dinner buffet!
Mom and dad had the chance to guess the weight of their food before paying. If they guessed it right, their meal was free! (They didn't guess right...so no luck there!) But they did come home smelling really good!
July 8: Pottery Shopping
The more brother and I write this blog post, the more I realize we get left at home for a majority of mom and dad's adventures! What the heck?!
Anyway, mom and dad have been living without real plates for a few months now, since they replaced all their dining ware with Japanese pottery back during Golden Week at the local pottery festivals. Being sick of using bowls for all meals, mom got the bright idea to make sandwiches (with her freshly, made-from-scratch bread) and pick dad up from work on Friday afternoon for a pottery hunt!
As dad ate his yummy lunch, (wish I could try a bite of the good-smellin' bread...
...warm...
...fluffy....
...ok, focus) they traveled over to Hasami and Arita to visit their favorite pottery shops from the festivals back in May! And guess what? Mom and dad found plates they loved at Nishiyama! They had a blue, hand-painted leaf design that complemented the rest of their collection at home, so they bought all 7 matching plates. Mom and dad also found a cool, hand-painted platter.
Dad questioned why they needed another platter since we already have one at home. Mom schooled him on the importance of options. Duh. (like the "option" to eat mom's fresh bread- not really an option. Just go along with what mom says, she's always right. Even if you really want the bread.)
Before coming home, mom and dad went back to main base to watch Thor: Love and Thunder. After the movie, they found the holy grail at the MiniNEX: Ace Ciders! This drink was a staple in our home back in California and quickly grew to be one of mom's favorites. Moving to Japan, the cider options have been slim...until now! God works in miraculous ways, and he delivered the goods to little ol' Sasebo! Did mom and dad buy 4 boxes of the variety pack? Yes. Do they accept any of your judgment? No.
The chance of them selling this again are slim, so they stocked up our pantry with cans to last them until our next move!
While mom and dad may have been ecstatic about their pottery and cider finds, Reynolds and I were much more interested in the white box that arrived from Gigi!
Yep, Gigi sent us a box of goodies that included treats, some new tie-dye balls and, Hugo's favorites, FEATHERS. If you know, you know: Hugo has a weird obsession with bird feathers. He's scared of them, then attacks them, then I have to step in and show the feather who's boss. (Dad says I ruin the fun, but I'm just helping Hugo get over his fears. Duh.) Gigi also mailed mom some new books, but did you hear, the box had TREATS. And Hugo and I devoured those treats!!!!
July 9: Beach Day
Mom and dad ditched us. Again. They took off to Oseto Beach for another pretty day in the sun. With my love for AC, I am happy to be left behind. Sissy wishes she had gone to chase the bird shadows though.... One way or another, mom and dad look like they had a great time soaking in some rays!
Rumor has it, they even made sandwiches with that delicious-smelling goodness on the kitchen counter. Did they think to share with sis and I? bet you can answer that for yourself.
*insert puppy-dog eyes.*
But how did we spend the majority of our summer break? Like this:
Yeah, we know what you are thinking: we are super cute AND we are two of the luckiest pups in the world! We can't wait to see what the rest of the summer has in store! (Hopefully more treats and snuggles. But mainly treats.)
Wags & Kisses,
Hugo & Reynolds
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